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Pay Down Fines and Help Hungry with Food For Fines Jan. 23-29

Sunday, January 23, begins fine-amnesty week in the Springfield-Greene County Library District. So if you’ve got a nagging, overdue-book fine hanging over your head, this is the week to pay it down and make it count two ways.

It’s simple: For every item of non-perishable food you drop off at a library branch or the Bookmobile, we’ll deduct 50 cents from your overdue-book fine balance. It counts for overdue music, movies and audiobooks as well; it does not apply to fines or fees for lost or damaged items.

Deliver the food to the checkout desk and a librarian will apply the credit on the spot. You get a break, and your donation goes to refill the shelves of Ozarks Food Harvest, the region’s food bank serving more than 300 hunger-relief organizations across 28 counties. Last year’s Food For Fines drive collected 6,261 lbs., or more than 3 tons of food. Can we beat that this year?

So bring in two cans, get $1 off your balance. Bring in 20 items and wipe out a $10 fine – the average overdue fine balance.

That’s a critical number, because anyone with a $10 or more fine is not allowed to check out more materials until it’s paid down. Some 6,441 children and teens owe $10 or more in library fines of some kind – not all overdue items. If each one of them donated a few cans during Food For Fines week, that would mean more than 6,000 youths would be able to check out great books, music and movies once again while helping the hungry of the Ozarks.
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Just a reminder: The library will offer free e-reader help sessions Jan. 25-31.

Library staff will be explain which e-readers are compatible with the free OverDrive software on the library’s website (Amazon’s Kindle is not compatible), and how to download books free from the library’s collection. Attendees may bring their devices and USB cord for hands-on help.